Many people enjoy an open, outdoor fire, such as at a campground. In many situations, however, it is necessary or desirable to provide good protection against the fire from spreading. One commonly known method of controlling a fire is by way of using a fire ring or fire pit. Most conventional fire rings often consist of a simple ring or hoop of metal placed upon the ground to allow combustible material, such as wood or charcoal, to be placed in the middle of the ring. While this type of device is useful in certain circumstances and under certain conditions, it also has many associated drawbacks.
As an alternative to the simple fire ring, one can build a fire pit with substantially upright sides to provide the kind of protection that might be desirable for a wider variety of uses, such as in proximity to a home. In such a construction, the fire pit typically includes metal screens or grates located in the sides to provide protection against the fire spreading, while still allowing people to enjoy seeing the fire through the screens.
Unfortunately, fire pit designs are often times quite large and bulky, thus making it difficult to transport such a unit from place to place, while also taking up a large amount of space when in storage. As a response to this, portable fire pit constructions have been contemplated. Such portable fire pit designs are often made from iron, steel, aluminum, ceramic, or other fireproof materials and are widely used for outdoor fire containment on lawns, on patios, on decks, in backyards, on beaches, and generally anywhere it is desired to enjoy an open fire without marring the landscape or platform upon which the fire is being built. Fire pits can also reduce the worry associated with having an uncontained fire in such locations.
While it is known to make campfire “rings” collapsible for portability or shipping, their light weight and flexible nature tends to result in units which are not very durable or long-lasting, and they further lack a bottom plate for lawn and patio use. Heavier-duty fire pits with substantial bottom plates or bowls are suitable for long-term lawn and patio use, but are not made to be packed flat for shipping, and they can be difficult to assemble, often times requiring tools and special fasteners.
As such, a need exists for a fire pit design which can provide good protection against the spread of a fire, is easily assembled and disassembled by a single user, can be easily transported from place to place, and which is capable of being made compact for storage or transport.